What better way to mark three years of pioneering feminine presence in Latin America’s electro scene than a deeply collaborative album, Austral. Both experimental and emotive, their tracks create a sense of latent power. Whilst most contributors are Latin-America-based (Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, Chile…), Nótt collective leaves any preconceptions of Latin music at the door. The founders, Marea, Julianna and Andrea, of this feminist anti-capitalist collective, speak about the ideologies of clubbing, electronica and where they set their sights for the future.
Your collective is named after the Nordic goddess of the night. Do you draw parallels between spirituality and electronic music?
Yes, there is of course a connection of music in general with the spirit. Since ancient times, music has been linked to almost every kind of mystical ritual. Rhythms, voices and frequencies that interact in certain ways with the body can take listeners to an almost trance-like state. This creates a mind/body/spirit relationship with the environment of the sounds. This is very important for us, that is why we identify with the goddess Nótt.
Witchcraft and feminism are histories that seem intertwined. How would you manifest this through music?
We can manifest it by doing well at what we do; we can manifest it by gathering and supporting each other; we can manifest by helping each other grow and showing other women (and men) that we can and do all have the potential to become whatever we dream of, even if is not a ‘usual’ job for a woman.
To what extent is clubbing a ritual?
It could be a ritual, it depends on why each person is going to a club – not everybody has the same passion for the dance floor. Also, social life or drugs can mislead connection with music. But for us, it definitely is a ritual because you go to find a connection with whatever you are going to listen to and you expect a good reaction or a nice sensation from it.
I read the collective “hates pink attitudes”, what is our definition of a ‘pink attitude’?
It’s not so much that we ‘hate’ pink attitudes. Nótt the goddess did. We use it as a metaphor to show that we are not satisfied with traditional women’s roles in the patriarchy. Pink attitude for us is being ‘princess-minded’, which means acting like we (women) are weak and need men to take care of us, and that we have to live our lives adapted around men. In Colombia and in Latin America, most of us are raised in patriarchal societies that believe that, so we are trying to change this common belief.
Gender-based violence is suffered worldwide ideologically and physically. Do you feel music invests people with the strength to defy these oppressive structures?
Music, like any art, should be political and could be a way where people find the strength to overcome social and lifestyle differences. Electronic music was born in an LGTBI+ community and it has been used as a tool to promote union and inclusiveness.
On a local context, your collective provides safe, inclusive music education through events and spaces. What are your goals for the future?
To create and reach more spaces to do stuff, but most of all, we hope for an empowered female generation who supports each other, doing whatever they want to do and to have more spaces in the scene so we can spread our message.
At the moment, is Nótt exclusively for women, or do you prioritise the feminine anti-patriarchal voice (regardless of sex)?
Basically, Nótt’s fight is for the female space in the electronic scene, but it is based on feminism that seeks equality of the sexes and inclusiveness. That’s why our spaces are always open to any kind of participation from public and colleagues that share the consciousness that we promote.
You briefly spoke about the ideology of underground music being less commercially-driven. Do you believe a less capitalist society would nurture creativity?
It would. If money drives the industry, need and power drive production rather than the essence of art. Therefore, creativity is limited to the need of reaching an economic target.
How can a promoter degrade musical ideology through commercial means?
When talent or music experience is not the most important thing when you hire a DJ, but the most important thing is to earn a bunch of money – as if it’s just another event. Projects like that don’t have an important impact on the public, or a musical ideology.
